Camping stove

ABSTRACT

A camping stove for use with campers, travel trailers, tents, or the like which is safe, gives even heat, provides a cooking surface at the top thereof, and uses only outside air for combustion to prevent the depletion of oxygen inside the camper or tent in which the unit is uses.

1451 Sept. 26, 1972 United States Patent Ehrlichmann 1 1 1 CAMPING STOVE 2,804,066 8/1957 McCutchen........... 126/93 X Inventor: Merlin W. Ehrlichmann i tonka Minn 55343 2,919,690 1/1960 Horn........................126/85 B 3,056,397 10/1962 Little.......................126/85 B [73] Assigneez West Creek CO. Inc. Minnetonka, 3,107,662 10/1963 Genge.........................126/59 Minn.

Primary Examiner-Charles J. Myhre [22] Filed: Dec. 10, 1970 AttorneyDugger, Peterson, Johnson & Westman App] 0 96,944 ABSTRACT A camping stove for use with campers, travel trailers, tents, or the like which is safe, gives even heat, provides a cooking surface at the top thereof, and uses 0 mm 0 m mmd QF M 5/8 7 N15 6'00 nu is 8 n6 2 In l h 0 m n e U.mF unc e 555 only outside air for combustion to prevent the deple- 10 1 16 307 59 tion of oxygen inside the camper or tent in which the unit is uses.

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 2,582,066 l/l952 Resek...................126/85 B X CAMPING STOVE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 Field of the Invention Present invention relates to stoves used for heating and cooking in tents and campers.

2. Prior Art Various camping stoves, such as catalytic burners and the like have been utilized in the past. These have many faults, among them the lack of safety because of the use of oxygen within the trailer, pickup camper or tent being heated for combustiomAsphyxiation can result.

The wide spread use of camping shelters in cool, and even in cold weather makes the requirement for a safe, portable very dependable stove even greater. In addition, of course if the stove can be used for cooking at the same time it is used for heating it has dual purpose.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a stove for use in camping and the like which uses exterior air for combustion, and which discharges the products of combustion to the exterior. The stove includes a flat top panel that can be used for cooking, a burner in a chamber which is closed or sealed off from the interior of the shelter and an inlet for exterior air. The inlet is provided so that the outside air comes into a peripheral channel around the stove combustion chamber and thus provides for an even flow of fresh air to the burner used, and prevents gusts of air from blowing the burner out. A supply of fresh air to the burner insures that the oxygen within the tent or camper will not be depleted. Additionally, then the products of combustion are discharged out through the wall of the tent or camper into the exterior air, and the discharge is baffled adequately to insure good circulation in'the stove to provide for adequate heating of air and the stove body for radiant heat purposes.

The stove can be made into various configurations or styles, as desired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, a stove illustrated generally is shown mounted onto a suitable mounting 11. This can be a pedestal, stand, the ground, a table or whatever is desired. Further, the stove is shown installed with air intake and outlet through the wall 12 of a tent, pickup camper, trailer camper or the like and the wall is shown only schematically for purposes of illustration.

Thestove 10 is a box like structure as shown, can

have various cross sections or heights. In other words the stove can have a narrow cross section and be quite high if desired or it can be relatively low in relation to 'its width, as shown in these drawings. The stove includes a housing having a bottom wall 13, a flat cover 14, and double peripheral walls extending between the cover 14 and bottom wall 13. The peripheral walls, as shown, include outer walls 16, and spaced inner walls 17 that form an air space as illustrated at 18 between the two walls for insulation purposes to prevent direct contact from very hot metal walls. The stove can be made of suitable metal, fastened together in a suitable manner such as sheet metal folded seams or spot welding like. The chamber construction is shown schematically for illustration purposes. Folded seams can be sealed with silicone sealants, if desired.

The inner walls 17 form a fire box or combustion chamber, and the burner shown schematically at 21 is mounted in the center of this fire box. The fuel inlet passes through the bottom wall 13 and a suitable conduit leads from a fuel source 22 to the burner.

The burner can be of any desired type and can use bottle gas, (LP. Gas) small propane cylinders, or other desired fuels.

As shown, the inner walls 17 has a tubular pipe 23 passing therethrough and open to the fire box and the pipe 23 passes through the outer wall 16 at the front of the stove, as shown in FIG. 2. The outer surface of the pipe is sealed to the wall. A suitable cover 24 can be attached to the pipe 23. This pipe 23 is used for getting into the burner for lighting it. The cover 24 can be closed to seal the pipe 23.

One of the walls 17 also have an air inlet pipe 25 passing therethrough, and which also passes through the outer wall 16 and as shown the pipe 25 passes through the wall 12 of the tent or camper. The exterior air from outside of the wall 12 is thus introduced through the pipe 25 into the fire box or chamber. The opening through the wall 17 for the pipe 25 is shielded from the burner with a wall 26 that is spaced from thewall 17 and extends all the way around the periphery of the wall 17 to form-a skirt. Wall 26 is attached to a horizontal wall 27 and then to the wall 17. Wall 26 terminates a short distance above the bottom wall 13 to leave an annular space around the periphery of the stove. The wall 26 forms a combustion air channel all the way around the interior of the stove surrounding the burner so that fresh air may pass underneath the wall 26 to the burner, but direct blasts of air will not blow from the pipe 25 onto the burner.

It should be noted that the burner is positioned above the lower edge of the wall 26, and as the burner burns fuel from the source 22, heat and flames will rise to the upper parts of the stove. A combustion products outlet pipe 30 also opens through the wall 17 and the wall 16 to the interior of the stove. The outlet pipe 30 has an open ended baffle channel member 31 mounted over the inlet to this pipe 30 to prevent products of combustion from directly traveling out through the pipe 30. The pipe 30 also passes through the wall 12 of the camper or tent. The interior baffle 31 is U shaped as shown, and open ended so that products of combustion have to go around through the end of the baffle as shown by the arrows in FIG. 3 to enter the pipe 30.

The outer ends of pipes 25 and 30, as shown may be attached to a pipe assembly 33 that acts as a chimney for the products of combustion, and also as a bafile for inlet air. As shown, the pipe 33 is square in cross section, and has a divider wall 34 positioned therein. The

divider wall 34 is between an opening 35 leading to the t pipe 25, and an opening 36 leading to the pipe 30 and seals the two ends of the pipe 33 from each other.

Thus, the tube 33 which is open at its lower end as shown on 37, permits air to enter through the opening 37, move past an interior baffle 38 which directly shield the opening 35 and then into the pipe 25 through the opening 35. The entering fresh air is distributed by the bafile wall 26 around the perimeter of the stove. The products of combustion from the burner passing through the. pipe 30 out through the opening 36 will be directed against the outer wall of the tube 33 with a baffle4l, then out through an open top 42 that can have a screen over it to shield the tube if desired. The pipes 25 and 30 can beextended outwardly for a substantial distance if desired.

The top wall 14 as shown is flat and can be used for cooking when the burner is operating. A double walls around the periphery, 17 and 16 provide for some insulation of direct heat, but yet will radiate out heat for warming the room, as will the top wall 14. The safety of course is that the outside combustion air enters through the opening 37, pipe 25 and into the channel formed by the wall 26 into the burner. This permits an even distribution of freshair to the burner for good combustion efficiency, safe operation and also prevents the depletion of oxygen in the interior of the tent or camper. The products of combustion are then safely discharged out through the pipe 30 after the gases have circulated around the baffle 31 for better heat circulation to prevent loss of a great deal of heat directly out through the pipe 30.

The unitary tubulary pipe 33 separates the incoming air from the products of combustion for safe operation as well. The products of combustion will discharge a sufficient distance away from the inlet 37, as shown, at opposite ends of the tube 33 so that the products of combustion will not merely be recirculated back into the burner.

The perimeter baffle 26 providing the Channel is one secret to efficient operation, the spacedfresh air inlet and outlet for the burner, and the sealed fire box provide for safe, efficient operation.

What is claimed is:

1. A stove for use in a camping structure having a wall comprising a housing, a burner member in said housing, said housing having an inlet and outlet, means communicating between the inlet of said housing and the exterior of said camping structure, means communicating with the outlet opening to the exterior of said camp structure, and a baffle member extending around the periphery of said housing comprising a generally imperforate wall spaced upwardly from the bottom of said housing and outwardly from the interior of the peripheral walls of said housing to form a peripheral channel into which said inlet opening opens, the lower edge of said wall being below the burner and below the inlet opening.

2. A combination as specified in claim 1 and a baffle overlying the outlet opening comprising a U shaped member open at its ends, and having a wall directly opposite the inlet opening to prevent direct passage of the products of combustion from said burner directly through said outlet.

3. A combination as specified in claim 1 wherein said stove is closed with a flat top member on which cookin can be erforrned.

%. The ombination as specified in claim 1 and a chimney exterior of camp structure comprising a fresh air inlet at the bottom and an outlet at the top, and a divider wall separating the top of said chimney from said bottom, said inlet and outlet being connected to said chimney in opposite sides of the divider.

5. The combination as specified in claim 2 wherein said burner is located substantially centrally in said chamber. I

6. The stove as specified in claim 1 and bafile means overlying the outlet opening, said baffle means including a wall directly opposite from the outlet opening and spaced therefrom to prevent direct passage of the products of combustion from said burner directly through said outlet opening. 

1. A stove for use in a camping structure having a wall comprising a housing, a burner member in said housing, said housing having an inlet and outlet, means communicating between the inlet of said housing and the exterior of said camping structure, means communicating with the outlet opening to the exterior of said camp structure, and a baffle member extending around the periphery of said housing comprising a generally imperforate wall spaced upwardly from the bottom of said housing and outwardly from the interior of the peripheral walls of said housing to form a peripheral channel into which said inlet opening opens, the lower edge of said wall being below the burner and below the inlet opening.
 2. A combination as specified in claim 1 and a baffle overlying the outlet opening comprising a U shaped member open at its ends, and having a wall directly opposite the inlet opening to prevent direct passage of the products of combustion from said burner directly through said outlet.
 3. A combination as specified in claim 1 wherein said stove is closed with a flat top member on which cooking can be performed.
 4. The combination as specified in claim 1 and a chimney exterior of camp structure comprising a fresh air inlet at the bottom and an outlet at the top, and a divider wall separating the top of said chimney from said bottom, said inlet and outlet being connected to said chimney in opposite sides of the divider.
 5. The combination as specified in claim 2 wherein said burner is located substantially centrally in said chamber.
 6. The stove as specified in claim 1 and baffle means overlying the outlet opening, said baffle means including a wall directly opposite from the outlet opening and spaced therefrom to prevent direct passage of the products of combustion from said burner directly through said outlet opening. 